Description

To get from Broadway Ledge (where most of the lower Apron climb like Diedre finish) to the Squamish Buttress, The Ultimate Everything, or the Echelon Wall, the shortest and easiest option is this route.

The wildly thin flake is very interesting and makes the easy climbing into a bit of a unique experience. While McLane's guidebook calls it two pitches, it's easily done in one with a 70m rope and probably a 60m (although being wrong in this case would be a shame since the crux is the very first move which makes simul-climbing unappealing).

The very first move off of Broadway Ledge is the crux and requires some faith that the flake is good, but it's not hard.

Location

Start a the right side of Broadway Ledge just before it starts to head downwards. The wall is smooth and concave, but a flake provides and undercling that is sufficient to reach the top side of the same flake.

The end of this route leaves you on a trail that heads into the forest towards the Buttress and the Ultimate Everything. It's a fifteen minute hike, so untie and coil the rope before proceeding.

Protection

A few cams up to 3 inches are plenty, but they are more for the comfort of the second so they don't swing rather than the leader since the flake is so thin it would be very disconcerting to fall onto them, although it would probably be fine.

In any other setting this would be a fun outing in it's own right, as it stands it can still put a smile on you face as part of a larger day. The first move is indeed the crux and is best attempted as far as possible to the right along the flake (can be hard to see this from below). I know of a few cases where followers end up having trouble because they don't have enough slack to get to the right and have trouble communicating with their partners (it's a long way and can get windy). Don't worry too much about placing a lot of pro on the initial thin flake. The climbing doesn't get harder again until the pro gets more secure.

This is a surprisingly fun bit of climbing, very easy but interesting and unique. I do not recommend linking the pitches. We did, and although we had plenty of rope with a 70 there was no way we could hear or see each other. There was then a ton of rope drag due mostly to the rope running inside the flake. With extremely hard tugs we were able to do our basic commands through the rope, but it was really tough to give a decent belay without pulling my follower off the traverse. Break it in two and watch your partner come up to you. If like me your partner is a new leader looking for easy pitches this would be a good spot for them to lead through. The second pitch is short, easy, and has giant trees at the top.